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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26841364">Siren</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacketarearmpants/pseuds/Jacketarearmpants'>Jacketarearmpants</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stranger Things (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:55:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,915</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26841364</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacketarearmpants/pseuds/Jacketarearmpants</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Every night, between 2 a.m and 6 a.m, the town of Hawkins go into a full lockdown. Mike accidentally finds himself face to face with the monster that roams the streets.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Siren</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my one shot for October!</p><p>Because it is spooky season, I decided to do a little darker one that takes place in pseudo-canon as most things that happened before the series still happened but the events of the show didn't happen.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK.</p><p>Mike looks down at his bleeding knees and bruised forearms as the wheels on his crashed bike spin in place.</p><p>“Oh God, oh God, oh God. This isn't good, this isn't good, this isn't good,” he mutters to himself. “I was just coming back from Will’s—what the fuck happened? Did I fall asleep? I knew I was cutting it close. I should’ve gotten home before the lockdown.” He reaches up to rub his pounding head. He <i>should</i> have gotten home… but now he’s crashed his bike and was unconscious for an unknown amount of time. He looks at his watch and sees that it's broken, with the glass cracked and hands twisted. </p><p>“Oh God,” He whispers. “Did I miss the siren? Is it 2:00 yet?”</p><p>Suddenly from the center of town, a long and brutal alarm sounds with a tone that vibrates in Mike’s chest and makes all the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.</p><p><i>Oh no. IT's coming.</i> </p><p>No one knows what IT is. It all started three years ago, when one night a body was found in the middle of Hawkins Park. To this day, no one knows exactly how it got there. All they know is the condition the body was found in; all of its internal organs completely liquefied.</p><p>At first, the town was in chaos. People blamed the local Hawkins lab, but the government managed to deny any involvement to the point that Hopper had no choice but to leave them alone. The town could only have hoped that this was a one-time incident. That hope only lasted 11 days, when a body in a similar state was found. Then another one.</p><p>Then another one.</p><p>Over the next 6 months, 25 people were found dead or reported missing. The ones found dead were found with their internal organs liquefied or thrown at lethal velocity against different surfaces while the missing ones vanished off the face of the Earth without a trace. Chief Hopper had a lot on his plate trying his best to make sure that the town remained intact, but as the bodies began to pile up, he had no choice but to organize a 10-man search and destroy crew. Mike remembers that night vividly, when the town of Hawkins waved off the men who were armed to the teeth and ready to find out what was causing the deaths. In the morning, the townspeople found the 10 men scattered about the streets of Hawkins, each one of their faces and bodies twisted in ways that no one could even comprehend.</p><p>From then on, The Curfew was instituted. Between the hours of 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., no one is allowed out of their house and no one even looks out their windows. Mike remembers his parents installing industrial-strength locks on all their windows and blackout curtains on the ones that face the street. Dustin and his mom begin sleeping in their basement to avoid their own windows. Lucas and his dad almost moved before deciding to fortify their house.</p><p>The death toll for whatever this monster is—this creature that haunts the streets of Hawkins—is 85. 85 people destroyed beyond human limitations.</p><p><i>Well, I'm about to become number 86.</i> </p><p>“FUCK.” Mike scrambles to his feet and takes in his surroundings. He doesn't know where he is exactly. He's somewhere in Mirkwood, the forest outside of Will’s house. </p><p>
  <i>I just need to find a street. Once I find a street, I'll be able to go from there. That's all I have to do. if I hear anything or see anything, I just run.</i>
</p><p>“Okay. Okay. That’s the way I came,” Mike mutters, pointing in the direction of Will’s house. He picks up his bike, hoping that it’s still intact, but the broken chain and bent spokes tell him that it’s walking from here on out. The walk is slow at first, as Mike has to account for his battered body. Once he gets used to it, he starts to move faster, the leaves crunching underneath his feet as the tree line extends as far as the eye can see. </p><p>
  <i>It’s just the street, right? Hop didn't find anybody in the woods. I should just camp in the woods. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Yeah, that's a good idea.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>WAIT! What if a bear kills me?</i>
</p><p>
  <i>I need a second.</i>
</p><p>Mike sits down to catch his breath. His heart pounds as his mind races with the darkest scenarios he can imagine. </p><p>After a couple deep breaths, Mike finds his center again and stands back up. He breaks out into a sprint, branches whipping past him. Finally, he reaches a street.</p><p>“What street is this?” Mike pants heavily, bending down to rest his hands on his thighs. “Okay, I’m on Montgomery.” He catches his breath while he tries to work out the route. “Fuck, I’m all the way across town.</p><p>With a couple final deep breaths and a plan, Mike decides to continue on his journey home.</p><p>
  <i>Walk in the middle of the street. Stay on streets with streetlights. And if anything goes wrong, just run or hide. Don't fight.</i>
</p><p>The walk is okay, so far. The distance between Mike and his house on Maple Street closes more and more by the minute, and Mike feels hope flood his brain as his smile widens with each step he takes. <i>I’m going to make it!</i></p><p>Suddenly, he hears footsteps echo in the night. Mike immediately stops to analyze them. They sound controlled and measured, suggesting whoever is walking is taking their time.</p><p><i>Shit. Is that IT?</i> </p><p>Mike frantically scans his surroundings for a hiding spot and sees the house to his left with its windows and doors drawn. He spots a trash can leaning up against the side of the house. Without a second thought, he dives behind it, attempting to conceal his lanky frame. His breath hitches for what feels like forever as the footsteps draw closer and closer, until finally he hears them echoing down the very street that he was just on. Suddenly, as the footsteps draw nearer, they stop and Mike can feel something staring at him. He glances around, making sure that every part of his body is hidden behind in this trash can, but he knows deep down that whatever is out there has seen him and is looking right at his hiding place.</p><p><i>Two options. I can stay hidden and hope this thing goes away. Or I can run.</i> </p><p>Mike controls his breath. He can still feel the presence of whatever it is standing in the middle of the street and staring at him.</p><p>
  <i>I would have to run.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>I'm going to have to run. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>I’M RUNNING.</i>
</p><p>Mike jumps up from his hiding place and runs as fast as his legs can carry him. He doesn't even look at the creature, remembering something that Dustin once said:</p><p>
  <i>“Maybe it's one of those creatures that if, you look at it, you die.”</i>
</p><p>In addition to his own pounding footsteps, Mike hears the gentle and controlled footsteps of whatever it is behind him, getting closer and closer. Finally, he jumps over the fence and immediately recognizes his surroundings as Maple Street.</p><p>
  <i>ALMOST HOME! ALMOST HOM-</i>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <i>CRACK.</i>
  </b>
</p><p>Mike’s foot catches the curb and he falls face first onto the pavement. His body skids as the asphalt tears into his exposed skin.</p><p>“Oh God,” he whines as the footsteps draw near. At the last second Mike slams his eyes shut, not wanting to even look at the thing.</p><p>
  <i>According to Hopper, it was over quickly for whoever died, so it's all I can ask for. Just whatever the fuck is about to kill me, it better kill me quickly.</i>
</p><p>The footsteps stop about 10 feet behind him. He feels something staring at him, but he doesn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. There isn't any moaning, gurgling, shrieking, or anything that might come out of something supernatural. He just hears his own shallow breathing and, he swears, the shallow breathing of another human.</p><p>“I don't want to open my eyes,” he mumbles to himself, hoping that whatever it is will just see him as a weak, pathetic boy and leave him.</p><p>The footsteps begin again, each one moving closer until finally a shadow crosses his face. Mike keeps his head in his hands so he doesn’t have to look. Suddenly, he feels an invisible force, one that wraps around his whole body and begins to lift him off his feet as his eyes remain closed. Before he knows it, he’s floating off the ground, the toes of his sneakers dangling.</p><p>
  <i>Whatever it is, I’m fucked. It can lift human beings without even touching them. I'm going to die.</i>
</p><p>Mike keeps his eyes closed as the monster draws him closer. Then, he violently stops, hovering in place. A small soft hand lightly runs down the side of his cheek, like how he sometimes runs his own hand down Holly’s cheek.</p><p>
  <i>WHAT?!</i>
</p><p>“Open,” says a small, breathless whisper of a voice. “Open your eyes.”</p><p>“No,” Mike begs. Tears form in the corners of his eyes</p><p>“Open,” the voice repeats.</p><p><i>Well, here goes nothing.</i> </p><p>Mike's eyes shoot open.</p><p>
  <i>What the fuck?</i>
</p><p>Standing no more than a foot away from him, with her left hand raised gently in front of her chest, is a girl no older than he is. Her hair is trimmed short, almost resembling a military buzz cut, and her honey-colored eyes glow in the light of the streetlamps.</p><p>Mike takes in the sight of her, picking up different small details, like her bleeding left nostril, her scuffed sneakers covered in what looks like dried blood, and her slight grin, like how a child would look at a new toy. The most striking thing about her, however, is what she’s wearing. It’s a white coverall with the number “011” on the left side of her chest and the letters “DOE” on the right side. As Mike looks at her, she appears to do the same, her head tilting side to side as she scans him up and down.</p><p>“Pretty,” she says gently, before dropping her hand and letting Mike drop to his feet.</p><p>“Who are you?” Mike asks. His voice shakes with fear. The girl just smiles and points to the 011 on her chest. “Eleven? That's your name?”</p><p>She nods, still smiling. </p><p>“Okay.” Mike mirrors her nod, before asking the question he doesn’t want the answer to. “Are you going to kill me now?”</p><p>She looks at him with a look of contemplation. He can almost see the gears of her thought process clicking behind her eyes, before she steps forward and cups his cheek with her hand. Before Mike can even fully comprehend what is happening, her lips are on his and fireworks, both of fear and joy, are exploding through his body.</p><p>
  <i>Okay. So the monster that has killed 85 people in the past 3 years isn’t actually a monster. It’s a teenage girl who, right now, is kissing me. What the fuck is going on?</i>
</p><p>As quickly as she started the kiss, she breaks it, looking up into Mike’s eyes and searching them for something. After somehow finding what she was looking for, she shakes her head side to side before whispering in an angelic voice, “No.” </p><p>With one final—and admittedly cute—smile, she turns down the street and walks away, her gentle footsteps echoing into the night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to leave a kudos or a comment as I enjoy reading them.</p><p>Follow me on twitter @KaliPrasad008</p></blockquote></div></div>
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